Adjustable hose guide

ABSTRACT

A guide device for a hose comprising a tube through which the hose may be slid, a means to adjust the inclination of the tube, a free standing mounting means and a means to adjust the height of the tube. The guide device is of use in inserting hoses filled with explosive slurry into narrow boreholes in underground mining operations.

United States Patent 1191 Williams et al.

1451 July 31,1973

ADJUSTABLE HOSE GUIDE lnventors: Darrell Andrew Williams, West Heidelberg; Adam Prus Wlsinskl, Parkdale; David Gilbert llay, Balaclava, all of Australia lCl Australia Limited, Melbourne, Australia Filed: July 31, 1972 Appl. No.: 276,531

Assignee:

Foreign Application Priority Data Aug. 9, 1971 Australia 5820 US. Cl. 226/199, 248/81 Int. Cl; B65h 23/28 Field of Search 226/ I96, 199;

References Citedv UNITED STATES PATENTS 816,562 4/1906 Cranmer 254/114 x 3,125,172 3/l964 Tilden l73/36X Primary Examiner-Richard A. Schacher Attorney-Cushman, Darby 8L Cushman 4 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure ADJUSTABLE nose curve This invention relates to a guide device; in particular it relates to a hose guide.

In the past bulk loaded slurried explosives have been widely used in mining operations. Their major commerical use has been in open cut extraction of minerals but bulk loaded slurried explosives have not been used to any great extent in underground mining operations which is surprising because slurried explosives are both cheap and readily available. One of the factors preventing widespread use of bulk loaded explosive slurries underground is that the bore-holes normally used underground are of a much smaller diameter than those used in open cut mining; also the viscosity of explosive slurries suitable for use in long upwardly inclined boreholes is much greater than that required for the downwards inclined boreholes normally used in above ground operations. The viscosity of explosive slurries suitable for use in upwardly inclined boreholes must be sufficiently high for the slurry not to run out of the hole under its own weight. Such highly viscous slurries cannot be easily removed from the loading hose on completion of filling a borehole and, as the contents of the hose repre sent a substantial quantity of explosive slurry, it is essential for economic use that this slurry be used in the filling of the next borehole. In addition the disposal of waste slurry underground constitutes a safety hazard and a severe handling problem. Thus the hose full of explosive slurry should be inserted into the next borehole to be filled. This insertion has previously been performed manually and has proved difficult due to the weight of the slurry causing the flexible hose to buckle and bend when attempts are made to push the loaded hose into the borehole. We have now devised a guide device which can be used to facilitate the insertion of hose into boreholes.

Accordingly we provide a guide device for a hose comprising a tube through which the hose may be slid, a means to adjust the inclination of the tube, a freestanding mounting means, a mechanical driving means, and a means to adjust the height of the tube. The length of the tube is not narrowly critical and depends to a certain extent on the conditions under which the device is used. Conveniently the length of the tube is from 1 to feet and preferably from 2 to 6 feet. In very restricted spaces the tube may be shorter and in very large caverns the tube may be longer. The diameter of the tube is not narrowly critical but preferably such that the hose may be inserted into the tube without difficulty but the tube is preferably not so wide that the hose can buckle or bend in the tube. The freestanding mounting means may be, for example, a trolley or a table. Preferably the freestanding mounting means is adapted to be braced between the floor and ceiling of the underground caverns. The means of adjusting the height or inclination of the tube may be any of the means known in the art. Preferably the means of adjusting the height is driven by a pneumatic means.

in use the guide device is adjusted so that the end' of the tube is close to or abutting the end of a borehole and is parallel with the borehole. The loading hose is inserted into the tube and pushed up into the hole.

The mechanical driving means may be, for example, a rack and pinion device such as a toothed wheel'or wheels adapted either to engage with lateral ridges on the hose or to engage with the sides of a resilient hose by pressing into the surface of the hose. Alternatively the wheel or wheels may have a resilient rim. The wheel or wheels may be rotated manually but preferably are driven by a motor.

We prefer that the mechanical driving means is a friction drive, for example, operated by two or more rollers bearing onto the sides of the hose and having at least one of the rollers driven by means of a motor. We prefer that the tension of the rollers on the hose may be adjustable. The motor may be any motor generating sufficient power, however, for safety reasons we prefer that a sparkless motor is used, for example, an air motor. Preferably a means is provided for holding the filed hose in the borehole.

In further preferred embodiment the guide device is provided with a reel of detonator lead wires connected to a detonator system and the detonator is pushed up the borehole by the loading hose and the lead wires for the detonator are pulled up the borehole with the loading hose. Preferably the detonator lead wires do not pass through the guide device but enter at the top of the device to avoid fouling the drive means. The guide device may be fitted with a footage counter so that it may be readily known how much hose has been inserted into the borehole. We also prefer to provide a means of cleaning the hose both before it is inserted into the borehole and what is more important as the hose is withdrawn from the borehole to prevent slurry entering the driving means. Any means of removing dirt and slurry from the outside of the hose may be used, such as, for example, a resilient sheet or tube e.g., of plastic material, adapted to fit around the hose and squeeze off any adherent slurry from the hose'as the hose is passed against the resilient sheet.

The tube of the guide device may be rigid but in certain circumstances the use of a flexible tube is advantageous. Thus if the tube is not aligned accurately with the borehole and a rigid tube is used the hose will be bent between leaving the tube and entry into the borehole; this can lead to buckling of the hose. Under these circumstances we prefer to use a tube which can be bent into alignment with the borehole; conveniently the end of the tube is inserted into the borehole and, due to flexure, the tube will be aligned automatically.

The device of our invention will now be illustrated by reference to a preferred embodiment illustrated as a cross-sectional view of the device in FIG. 1.

The device consists of a freestanding mounting means 1 a telescopic support comprising two tubes 2 and 3, a foot operated air valve 4 which controls the air pressure in the telescopic tube. When the air is turned on the telescopic support extends and when the air is turned off the support contracts under its own weight. The inclination of the telescopic support is adjusted by the device 5. Attached to the top of the telescopic support is a flexible or preferably rigid tube 6 optionally fitted with a footage counter of conventional construction 7. Preferably the end of the rigid tube 6 is provided with locating means such as claw members 8. The hose is driven up the tube 6 by means of a friction drive 9 driven by the air motor 10 in conjunction with the idler wheel 11.

In use the device may stand without further support on the mounting means 1 but preferably the device is braced by the tube 6. The telescopic support is raised until the locating means 8 on the tube 6 locates with the collar of the borehole. The hose is inserted into the bottom of the hole 6 and pushed up manually to engage with the friction drive 9. The friction drive then pushes the hose into the borehole. The amount of hose entering the borehole may be measured by the footage counter 7. The direction of the friction drive 9 may be reversed to allow the hose to be withdrawn at the desired rate.

We claim:

1. A guide device for a hose comprising a tube through which the hose may be slid, a means to adjust the inclination of the tube, a freestanding mounting means, a mechanical driving means and a means to adis adjustable. 

1. A guide device for a hose comprising a tube through which the hose may be slid, a means to adjust the inclination of the tube, a freestanding mounting means, a mechanical driving means and a means to adjust the height of the tube.
 2. A guide device according to claim 1 wherein the guide device is adapted to be braced between the floor and ceiling of a cavern.
 3. A guide device according to claim 1 wherein the mechanical driving means comprises a friction drive comprising two or more rollers bearing on the sides of the hose.
 4. A guide device according to claim 3 wherein the tension of the rollers of the friction drive on the hose is adjustable. 